Effy Alexakis has officially launched her photographic exhibition, Forty Photographs: A Year at a Time, at the N. Smith Gallery in Paddington.
The exhibition, which is part of the Greek Festival of Sydney and will run until April 3, showcases Alexakis’ extensive repertoire of photographs capturing the lives of Greek Australians since 1982.
These photographs were the stars of the launch night on Tuesday as they set the perfect backdrop for a number of speeches by Alexakis herself, as well as the Festival Chair, Nia Karteris.
In her speech, Ms Karteris said she knew Alexakis needed to be a part of the Festival’s 40 year celebrations this year as she has been contributing to the event from the very beginning.
For her part, Alexakis explained how once she was invited to have her own exhibition, she accessed her vast archive of photographs and selected one contemporary image to represent each year since 1982 and reveal the changing face of Greek Australians.
Among those on display in the Gallery are a photograph of actor and director, Lex Marinos, with his father in 1988; a then-and-now photograph of a patisserie in Alexandria, Egypt which was owned by the family of Phillip George’s grandfather; as well as a photograph of Effy, Leonard Janiszewski and their daughter Connie in 1998 (the year Connie was born).
Alexakis tells The Greek Herald she’s incredibly proud of the selected photographs as they’re all really personal.
“I’ve chosen people that I admire, I have chosen people that are quite remarkable in the Greek Australian community, people that have done a lot of amazing things, so for me it feels like a very personal exhibition and I’ve got a connection with a lot of the images,” Alexakis explains.
“I’m extremely proud of this. I worked really hard to put the images together.
“It was also a good way for me to reflect back on the work I’ve done because often you do the work, put it away and you move onto the next thing. You don’t often get time to really assess. So it feels like a time warp. I can’t believe I’ve spent 40 years doing this.”
With that said, we think this exhibition is the perfect way to showcase the extensive work of Alexakis. If you would like to see the exhibition for yourself, it will be running until April 3 at the N. Smith Gallery on 6 Napier Street, Paddington, NSW.
Unley High School (UHS) hosted a souvlaki sizzle on Thursday, March 24 to celebrate Greek Independence Day this year.
The event was organised with the help of the School’s Greek Parents Committee and was held during lunch time at a newly renovated outdoor space on school grounds.
The day began with a speech explaining the significance of March 25, 1821 to the audience.
Later, Greek Dance Captains, Stella Dracopoulos and Theo Leonardos, led students to perform in two groups. The first group danced a Tik, whilst the second danced a Pentozali. All audience members were then encouraged to join in and dance the Zorba.
After the event, the School Principal at UHS, Greg Rolton, told The Greek Herald the annual souvlaki sizzle was a ‘wonderful celebration with food and dance supported by the wider school community.’
“It was also fantastic to see the inclusive interaction of our student dancers inviting friends and teachers to join in the dance, making it a truly multicultural event,” Mr Rolton added.
Chairperson of the Greek Parents Committee, Ourania Ntafillis, agreed with Mr Rolton and said the event was “a heart-warming experience.”
“The UHS Greek Parents’ Committee has been in existence for over 30 years and we strive to support and promote Greek language and culture,” Ms Ntafillis says.
“Our annual “Souvlaki Sizzle” to commemorate Greek Independence Day was a heart-warming experience. The school came alive as volunteers prepared the BBQ while the staff and students came together and put on a wonderful display of decorations and performances.”
For Mr Leonardos, he said he was proud to be Greek Dance Captain on the day.
“…being given the opportunity to represent a group of high school students to show the school the importance and beauty of our [Greek] heritage, is something I will admire my whole life,” Mr Leonardos said.
“I exceptionally loved the Zorba where we would bring friends and teachers in the audience onto the dance floor to dance with us.”
Modern Greek Teacher at UHS, Lazaros Gialamas, added that the annual ‘souvlaki sizzle’ is a ‘perfect example’ of promoting Greek language and culture.
“The School has been long been a stalwart for promoting and preserving Greek language and culture amongst the youth of South Australia. The Independence Day dance performance is a perfect example, being a student led initiative that invites students of all backgrounds and welcomes them as honorary Philhellenes,” Mr Gialamas said.
“This is a wonderful tribute to the importance of Languages Education in fostering our multicultural community.”
The School is now looking forward to holding its annual Greek dinner which was cancelled the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bendigo and Adelaide Bank have been recognised at the fourth annual DBM Australian Financial Awards.
They have received awards across a number of categories including:
Most Recommended Business Bank (Business Banking Awards category)
Best Business Bank Customer Service (Business Banking Awards category)
Most Recommended Investor Home Loan (Financial Products Awards category)
These awards have great significance as they are truly customer focused and showcase the best of the financial services industry – as voted by over 80,000 Australian retail and business customers.
As part of the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank family, Delphi Bank embraces this success and sees receiving these awards as a great accomplishment, further signifying the strong relationships and trust it holds amongst its customer base and communities in which it operates.
One of the many stand out events in the 2022 Greek Festival of Sydney cultural program is the 100 Years of Bithikotsis 1922-2022. This event was scheduled to take place at the Factory Theatre on March 27 and has now been re-scheduled to May 1 at the Bankstown Sports Club.
The date was changed to accommodate the re-scheduled Greek Fest Darling Harbour, however the weather once again proved to be unaccommodating.
In what is sure to be a sell-out event with a few surprises in store, the 13-piece band (including three bouzoukia) will be under the direction of Thanasis Pylarinos and will include a stellar line-up of Bithikotsis’ hits.
Considered one of the most important figures in Greek popular music and composing over 80 songs, Bithikotsis’ contribution largely shaped the Greek music of today.
“This year marks the 100-year anniversary to the birth of this great icon and it is only fitting that we pay tribute to the man whose songs had a major influence on the Greek music of today,” Harry Danalis, President of the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW (GOCNSW), said.
“Songs that are still widely played and will always hold a special place in the heart of Greeks of generations past, present and future. We know Thanasis and his team will not disappoint.”
All current ticket holders will have their tickets re-issued by Bankstown Sports Club. Please visit www.bankstownsports.com/greekfestival for bookings.
Greek Festival of Sydney event cancellations:
This new date and venue announcement comes as the Greek Festival of Sydney also confirmed the cancellation of two upcoming events in the festival program.
These are:
‘Leonard Cohen on Hydra’ presented by Professor Vrasidas Karalis. It was scheduled for Wednesday, March 30 at the Fusebox Theatre.
‘The Tastes of Alexander at Perama’ by David Tsirekas. It was scheduled to take place on April 12.
These events will not be re-scheduled in this year’s program.
“It seems that COVID and other factors beyond the festival’s control continue to impact events in the program however, we continue to work through and overcome these challenges,” Festival Chair, Nia Karteris, said.
“We do have plenty of other great events coming up and encourage everyone to check the program for details.”
Part of the Victorian Government’s redevelopment plans for Preston Market in Melbourne’s northern suburbs was a proposal to build 2,200 apartments in blocks up to 20-storeys high.
But last week, Victorian Planning Minister, Richard Wynne, significantly slashed the number of apartments allowed in draft planning rules to a maximum of 1,200.
On the other hand, stallholder Jim Katsaros, owner of Athina’s Deli, questioned the legitimacy of the owner’s concerns.
Jim Katsaros with his wife Athina Katsaros. Photo Jennifer Pittorino.
“How many billions do you want to make?” Mr Katsaros told the SMH.
“Fourteen-storey apartment blocks are not enough for them? Well, it becomes, at the end of the day, a selfish proposition overall.”
Mr Wynne has referred the draft masterplan to an advisory committee from the Victorian Planning Authority for review and public hearings. The committee will report back in July.
The Federal Government has allocated $4.9 million to create a Remembrance Trail on the Greek island of Lemnos in this year’s Budget.
The trail is being created in recognition of the Australian doctors, nurses and other service personnel who served there during the First World War.
“The women and men who serve this nation in uniform make incredible sacrifices for our country and we are ensuring that we repay our debt to them by providing the support they, and their families, need,” the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Defence Personnel, Andrew Gee, said.
The creation of the Remembrance Trial was first announced back in April 2018 by Melbourne’s Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee and the Prefecture of the Northern Aegean.
Morrison, Hawke: Ethnic communities the engine for economic recovery
In a multicultural media conference held this morning about the Federal Budget, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Minister for Immigration Alex Hawke thanked multicultural communities for their leadership during challenging times, for supporting the economy and culturally enriching the country.
Mr Morrison at the multicultural media briefing.
The Prime Minister said the government will keep supporting multicultural communities and stressed that “we are the standard that other countries seek to achieve.”
Minister Hawker agreed with Mr Morrison and said this budget has “more good news for multicultural communities” in order to resume community life.
“We’ve seen churches and temples empty and festivals cancelled and I am announcing some grants through the budget to support community activity,” Mr Hawke said.
“We want communities to get back to their normal life and we know they need support. Let’s get them up and thriving.”
Federal Budget 2022:What else was announced?
During the meeting, Mr Morrison and Mr Hawke also discussed various other announcements from last night’s Federal Budget, including the big-ticket cost of living funding and record investments in health, defence and small business.
Families and Taxpayers:
To help with the increasing cost of living, low- and middle-income earners will receive an extra $420 back on their tax returns. The government’s low and middle tax offset is also back for another year, meaning that some people may get up to $1,500 back at tax time.
Pensioners and Welfare Recipients:
Pensioners, carers, veterans, job seekers and other eligible concession cardholders, plus some self-funded retirees, will receive a one-off payment of $250.
Women:
Another $1.3 billion will be spent tackling violence against women and children in this budget. The new spending is on front-line services, emergency accommodation, access to legal advice and more.
There’s also been a big shake-up for the government’s Paid Parental Leave (PPL) scheme. Instead of offering two separate payments — two weeks of “Dad and Partner Pay” and 18 weeks of “Parental Leave Pay” — the two will now be combined, meaning parents can choose to split the leave between them in whatever way they’d like.
According to the Prime Minister, the federal budget even encourages more women from ethnic backgrounds to enter the workforce and creates more economic opportunities from them.
”It gives them choice, it gives their families choice and enables them to plan for their future with confidence,” Mr Morrison said during the conference.
Small businesses:
Small business owners will receive a $120 tax deduction for every $100 they spend on training their staff. The same deduction will also apply to investments in cloud computing, eInvoicing, cybersecurity and web design – up to a maximum of $100,000 per year.
Mr Morrison said that the support for small businesses in this budget is significant.
“Australia is one of the most successful multicultural nations on earth and one of the reasons for that I think is because of the high level of entrepreneurism that exists in the many migrant communities….we are helping small businesses be successful in the post COVID economy,” he told multicultural media this morning.
“Australia is in a strong position to capitalise in the opportunities that are ahead and the many ethic communities across Australia will be in the engine of that.”
Motorists
The fuel tax excise will be cut in half to 22.1 cents per litre for six months. The change comes into effect from midnight on Tuesday night and the competition watchdog will police it.
First-home buyers:
The number of people able to access the Home Guarantee Scheme will double to 50,000 places per year. That scheme, designed to help more people buy their first home, lets people put down a deposit of just five per cent, or two per cent for single parents.
Thirty scholarships have been offered to children of Ukrainian immigrants to study in the schools of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia.
“Beyond our prayers and moral support for our Ukrainian brethren, we are also endeavouring to be practically by their side,” the Archdiocese said in a statement about the scholarships.
This decision was made at the 13th Meeting of the Bishops of the Archdiocese, which took place in Sydney on March 28-29 under the chairmanship of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia.
During the first day of deliberations, the meeting focused wholly on the recent Ukraine – Russia crisis and the Bishops called on His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow to mediate between both countries.
The 13th Meeting of the Bishops of the Archdiocese.
“Until recently, His Holiness hastened to send messages of sympathy to leaders and peoples on the occasion of natural disasters, catastrophes, military conflicts and other matters of social misery, but now he remains provocatively silent in the face of this tragedy that has shaken our entire planet,” the statement reads.
“The lives of leaders are judged by history and we will certainly not be judged only for what we did but also for what we could have done and did not do.”
The Bishops concluded their meeting by asking for “those in position of authority to stop the weapons of war and for Ukraine to celebrate a resurrection before the glorious Resurrection of our Lord.”
The British Museum is facing legal action from the Institute for Digital Archaeology (IDA) over its refusal to allow the 3D scanning of a piece in its Parthenon Marble collection, The Guardian reports.
The IDA is seeking to reproduce a part of the relief from the temple’s south facade using 3D printing.
According to the IDA’s executive director, Roger Michel, the UK heritage group will be filing an injunction “by the end of the week requesting the court to order the British Museum to grant our request.”
“Our aim is to give people a chance to see just how extraordinary a copy can be,” Michel continued and stressed that previous copies of the Parthenon Marbles have been “low-quality plaster casts.”
In a statement to The Guardian about the IDA’s threat of legal action, a British Museum spokesperson said it was not possible to routinely accommodate all requests from “private organisations – such as the IDA – alongside academics and institutions who wish to study the collection.”
The spokesperson also added that it already used cutting-edge technologies to explore and share its collection and had facilitated visits from the Acropolis Museum in 2013 and 2017 for 3D scanning.
What does a flour mill and traditional Greek Pasta have to do with Australia?
Founder of the Award winning ‘Ilis’ pasta (Ζυμαρικά ΗΛΙΣ), spoke to The Greek Herald about his Greek pasta and his family’s Australian history.
“‘Ilis’ is named after the ancient Ilia prefecture of the Peloponnese, where the company is based,” says Theodoros Giannaras.
‘At its core, Ilis is still a traditional family business. My grandfather who was born in the early 1900’s, had his flour mill at the very same location,” he explains.
‘My father was the eldest sibling and he too worked in the flour mill, until leaving for Australia with my mother in the early 1960’s, where I was born.’
Somewhat wistfully though proudly, he tells me how his parents both worked hard in Australia’s factories, to fulfil their dream of saving money to return to Greece. They wanted to buy the flour mill for the family, rather than continue renting it as his grandfather had been.
Theodori’s parents did achieve their goal. Returning to Greece with a then four year old Theodori, they bought the flour mill outright and modernised it. Eventually Theodori’s father inherited the business, and Theodori continued working there, as he had done when his grandfather was still alive.
But … Australia beckoned once again. This time for the young Theodori.
‘It wasn’t easy for me to get where I am’, Theodori muses, humbly adding: ‘If it wasn’t for Australia, I really don’t think the family business would’ve made it this far.’
‘I too decided to go to Australia when I was eighteen, because I was getting restless, and wasn’t even sure if I’d return to Greece.He further informs me that trahana – as well as hilopites (‘more like Italian pasta in their yellowish colour from the eggs they contain, and sort of like fettucini cut into small squares’), were traditionally made in the spring and summer due to the supply of fresh eggs and milk, and were then stored for use mainly in winter.
After a year in Australia though, I missed my family, and the business. I returned to Greece with renewed interest and passion, determined to make something of it as the elder son, in the tradition of my ancestors,’ he explains.
‘Australia inspired me with it’s multicultural environment, and food in particular.’
‘I noticed the popularity of Italian restaurants, as well as Asian noodle-based eateries for example. It was there that the idea of perhaps turning the flour business into a pasta business one day, took root,’ he says.
‘I recognised that a major part of the flour mill’s success was due to the surrounding villagers buying our flour for bread, but also for making Greek pasta such as hilopites and trahana.’
Asking him what he means by ‘Greek pasta’, Theodori responds by first describing trahana, as generally made from flour and milk. Traditionally, this dough-like mixture was hand cut (or scraped on a special board) into ‘tiny pieces shaped like pillows’ before it was left to dry.
I mention to Theodori that tiny, ‘pillows’ is a good way to describe trahana, as it really has been a comfort food for me growing up in Australia and looking forward to a hot plate of it. Theodori nods in agreement.
He further informs me that trahana – as well as hilopites (‘more like Italian pasta in their yellowish colour from the eggs they contain, and sort of like fettucini cut into small squares’), were traditionally made in the spring and summer due to the supply of fresh eggs and milk, and were then stored for use mainly in winter.
Adopting a philosophical perspective, he continues: ‘Our ancestors were forced by necessity, but also by wisdom, to respect nature and the offerings of its changing seasons, and this included planning in advance. Trahana and hilopites – Greek pasta, was a clever, and delicious way to preserve milk and eggs, giving people an accessible and cheap, protein meal to have in the winter, but also throughout the year.’
In his large, gleaming with machinery and buzzing with life factory headquarters and distributing centre where I am interviewing Theodori, he points out that Ilis pasta is being sold at over 200 outlets in Greece and also internationally.
He proudly points out his over 50 different pasta ranges, ‘made from natural, fresh ingredients.’
Apart from the traditional Greek pastas, there are golden yellow pastas taking on their colour from ingredients such as tumeric and saffron, as does the black, cuttle-fish ink spaghetti. I notice the porcini mushroom pasta as well, amongst the numerous, and various sized and shaped, other pastas. The ever innovative Theodori has even devised a high protein pasta.
‘I am also a bit of a chef now’ he adds smiling, ‘and I love experimenting with my pasta in recipes.’
Theodori has managed to successfully but also creatively continue a century old family tradition of making flour come to life, through Greek pastas of all sorts.
Asked if he plans to enter the Australian market at any time soon, he playfully yet sincerely responds, ‘of course mate! My second home.’
Time for another trip to Australia again … For ‘Ilis’ Greek pasta that is!
At 104 years of age, Alf Carpenter is one of Australia’s oldest surviving Anzacs. He’s lived through two world wars, the Great Depression, 9/11 and even fought in the Battle of Crete.
In simple terms, he’s a living legend.
That’s why we’re not surprised his life has been turned into a documentary by charity,This Story Australia, titled ‘Second Generation ANZAC – The Story of Alf Carpenter.’
Hughes says he first decided to document Alf’s life after speaking with Australian author, Deborah Wheeler. Alf had provided the foreword for her book ‘Silk Clouds and Olive Trees – Tales from the Battle of Crete,’ and she thought his personal stories needed to be preserved in documentary form.
From there, Hughes and Wheeler applied for a grant and after being successful in their application, they began interviewing Alf on October 27, 2021.
Alf Carpenter as a young man.
“It was difficult,” Hughes explains about the filming process.
“We got the grant in May last year but borders were closed between Queensland and NSW [where Alf lives in a nursing home] so we couldn’t get the interview then.
“Out of frustration, we ended up just doing it remotely so basically I got a cinematographer in Newcastle, we went through the whole vetting and producing of the whole documentary and organising a space for him to be interviewed.”
Jeff Hughes (left) behind the scenes.
Ultimately, Alf was interviewed at the Merewether Hamilton Adamstown RSL via Facetime.
Hughes says that although they didn’t know if they’d be able to successfully do a virtual interview with the 104-year-old, they are ‘really happy with the end product.’
In the documentary, Alf speaks of his early life in Wagga Wagga, friendships, marriage and going to war. Alf describes his journey through Northern Africa to Greece and on to Heraklion to defend Crete.
Alf’s personal diary entries are also interspersed throughout the documentary. They are narrated by Australia’s favourite contemporary poet, Rupert McCall OAM.
Hughes says he can’t wait for people to see what has been produced.
“The most important thing as a filmmaker is we want it to be seen, we want it to be enjoyed by the community. We’re really looking forward to the launch,” he concludes.
The documentary will screen at The Greek Club, South Brisbane on Wednesday, March 30. Canapés will be served and there will be a cash bar. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased here.
